Ore-concentrator



(No Model.)

G.- R. TOWNSBND. ORE CONGENTRATOR.

No. 474,272. Patented May`3, 1892.

43 Num: 30 17 77 l Mw-0W@ A TTOHVEYS.

v UNirnn STATES Armar Prion.

CRIGHTON RICHARD TOIWNSEND, OF IDAHO SPRINGS, CLORADO.

ORE-CONCENTRATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,272, dated May 3, 1892.

Application tiled September 2, 1891. Serial No. 404,541. (No model.)

To L ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CeIeHToN RICHARD ToWNsENn, of Idaho Springs, in the county of Clear Greek and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Ore-Concentrator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in ore-concentrators; and the object of my invention is to produce a cheap and economically-operated machine which will practically take care of itself, which will run a longtime without being cleaned up, which will handle a very large quantity of material in proportion to its size, which will thoroughly concentrate the metal, and which is especially adapted for use in saving gold, quicksilver, and amalgam, and concentrating crushed or ground rock, sand or earth tailings, and similar material.

To this end my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to behad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a broken side elevation, partly in section, on line 2 2, Fig. 2, of the concentrator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a broken plan of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-section on the lines 3 3 in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4 is abroken detail vertical longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of the device.

The machine is provided with a pair of umes l0, which are placed side by side and given an inclination more or less steep, according to the nature of the Work to be performed, and the lumes are supplied from the main flume 11, which connects with the flumes 10 by means of the branch i'lumes l2. A freshwater fiume lliL is arranged above the main flume 11, so as to provide clean water when necessary. The iiumes 10 are again united at their lower ends to form another flume 13, which may be given a greater inclination, and the water in which may be used for running a water-wheel. The water from the main iiume 11 is switched into either of the flumes lO by means of the swinging gate 14, arranged at the entrance to the branch iiumes l2. The flumes may be supported in any convenient way; but usuallytheyare mounted on afralnework which is supported by posts 15. Each flume 10 is given a sharp pitch in the middle, as shown at 16, and this steeper portion forms a chute which delivers into the lower portion of the flume, so that each flume forms practically a double machine. The object of this arrangement is to increase the capacity of each flume, so that when'the upper portion of the fiume has filled up the concentrates will continue t0 accumulate in the lower portion, and as aresult the machine need not be cleaned up very often.

At each end of the lumes 10 and at each end of the inclined portion 16 is a transverse shaft 17, the shaft at the lower end of the fiumesbeingprovided with adriving-pulley 18. The two upper shafts in each flume and also the two lower shafts therein are connected by a belt 19, which runs in the flume and is carried by suitable pulleys, each belt having thereon a series of rakes 20, the teeth of which are adapted to contact with the floor of the flumes, and the rakes are preferably placed obliquelyon the belts. The rakes and belts are arranged so that the rakes will travel against the water as it flows through the umes, as indicated by arrows, and consequently the concentrates will not be drawn down the flumes, but the sand and material in the bottom of the iiumes will be gently agitated, so that the lighter and Worthless portions will dow off and the heavier and more valuable particles will settle. The two central shafts of the tlumes are connected by means of a belt 18, so that all the belts may run in unison.

' At intervals in the floors of the flumes are trap-doors 2l, which may be dropped when the lumes are cleaned up, and these doors are arranged above tracks 22, adapted to carry cars 23, which may thus be brought beneath the doors, so that the concentrates will bc washedl into them. In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of the ume, the floor 10 having a sink 24 produced in its bottom, and a belt 25 runs above the sink and over pulleys 26, the belt carrying rakes 2O like those already described; butin this case the teeth of the rakes do not reach the bottom of the sink. The

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heavier sand and other material Will settle in the sink, and the rakes will constantly stir the upper portion of the sand, so that the metal will readily drop into it and settle to the bottom.

In practice the rake-teeth used in iiume 10 should belong enough so that the water will flow freely through the upper portion of the rake-teeth. When the machine is operated, the tailings are thrown into the flumes in the usual way, and an advantageous method of Working the machine is to run the tailings as they come from the mill through one flume until the heavy material has accumulated sufficiently, then change the gate 14E and let the tailings run into the other iiume and turn clean Water into the iirst flume from the ume ll, so thatboth parts of the machine will be run, one cleaning and the other accumulating. l/Vhen cleaned, the upper portion of the iumes may be raised by any suitable lever mechanism, so that the concentrates may be easily rinsed out. If desired, instead of Washing thezconcentrates into the cars the i'lumes may be' arranged to deliver to any ordinary form of concentrators or accumulators.

It will be understood that one, two, or anynumber of these liumes may be used, and in case the iiulnesare vvery large two or morev belts may be used instead of one, as shown v and described.

Having thus fully described my invention,

yI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination, with the two longitudinally-inclined stationary flulnes 10 10, one in advance of and below the other, and an inclined connecting portion 16, of the transverse shafts at the ends of the two flumes, the adjacent shafts being connected, an endless belt mounted on each pair ot' shafts and provided with transverse rakes having spaced teeth to stir the solid contents of the flumes and permit a free iiow of water therethrough, and doors in the bottoms of the lumes, substantially asset forth.

2. An ore-coneentrator consisting of two parallel pairs of iiumes 10, each pair having a connecting incline 16, shafts crossing the two pair of iiumes at their ends, a belt 18, connecting the middle shafts at the said ineline, an endless belt within each flume and `provided with rakes to stir the ore and permit 

